Wanted: Head coach for 49ers

There are seven job openings, with Tampa Bay becoming a surprise entrant late Wednesday night after the Buccaneers fired Lovie Smith, despite the team’s improvement in the past season. The Buccaneers join the New York Giants, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Miami Dolphins, the Tennessee Titans, the Cleveland Browns and the 49ers as teams looking for a savior.

Seven openings. And despite what Jed York, the team’s CEO, and general manager Trent Baalke and their mouthpieces believe, the 49ers’ job is one of the least attractive.

Why?

For obvious reasons. The ownership proved that it discounted winning when it jettisoned Jim Harbaugh after four seasons and 44 regular-season wins, and three trips to the NFC Championship Game. The front office has undermined coaches and players with constant leaks, which show no signs of abating. Ownership has wedded itself to Baalke, keeping him in charge of both the coaching search and football operations, despite his failings.

And the 49ers are a massive rebuild. There are holes and question marks at every position on the roster. Of the teams with coaching vacancies, they finished the worst on defense (29th) and offense (31st).

Though the 49ers have resources — lots of draft picks and cap room — they are probably in at least a two-year process of becoming competitive again. That isn’t appealing, especially with ownership that isn’t exactly patient: This will be the 49ers’ seventh head coach in the past 14 years. And trying to become a winner in their division — home to two of the best teams in the NFC — is an uphill battle.

The biggest question is at quarterback. Even if a head coach is intrigued by the possibility of rebuilding Colin Kaepernick, it seems doubtful that that relationship can be salvaged. The 49ers seem done with him, willing to blame many of their problems on Kaepernick last season. And $15.9 million — the cap hit the 49ers will take if he makes the roster — seems like an awful lot to spend on a project, though they may have to pay him anyway after his recent surgery because of a clause in his contract.

Handicapping the other jobs:

New York Giants: The most attractive job, with stable and respected ownership, an elite quarterback in Eli Manning, a history of winning and many other playmakers such as Odell Beckham Jr. The Giants also have a lot of cap space. Manning is 35, expectations and pressure are high in New York and the defense is a mess. But this is still the best job available.

Tennessee Titans: The Titans have the No. 1 pick in the draft and they have Marcus Mariota, who appears to be a franchise quarterback. Their defense was solid, finishing 12th overall. They compete in a division that’s very winnable. The drawbacks are mysterious ownership and a void at general manager, though that could give a head coach more control.

Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles’ ownership is respected. The team prefers stability, having kept Andy Reid for 13 seasons prior to the Chip Kelly experiment. There is talent on offense and a lot of observers believe quarterback Sam Bradford could succeed if he could a) find stability and b) stay healthy. On the downside, it’s a tough market, with high expectations. There is a question mark at general manager and the toxic environment needs to be repaired.

Miami Dolphins: The Dolphins have had more instability than have the 49ers. This will be Miami’s ninth head coach in 12 years. The Dolphins haven’t had an identity for years. But owner Steve Ross is willing to spend money and Ryan Tannehill is considered a solid quarterback.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The firing of Smith isn’t a good sign for a new head coach. Smith improved the team and also kept his troubled franchise quarterback, Jameis Winston, on the straight and narrow. The Buccaneers have talent. They finished 10th on defense and fifth on offense. The Glazer ownership is impatient; the Smith firing might have been done to keep offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, so this job really might not be in play.

Cleveland Browns: No franchise is more of a mess than the Browns, who just hired a baseball-analytics man, Paul DePodesta, to help run the franchise. The Browns don’t really have anything going for them. Johnny Manziel is a joke; the franchise has done everything wrong. It’s the one job that is definitely worse than the 49ers’ job.